Promoting Nuclear Knowledge Management in Latin American and Caribbean

National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina and IAEA Sign Practical ArrangementsIAEA General Conference

Signing Ceremony of the Practical Arrangements between Mr. Alexander Bychkov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, and Ms. Norma Boero, National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina (CNEA) at the IAEA 56th General Conference, IAEA Vienna, Austria, 17 September 2012. (Photo Credit: Dean Calma/IAEA)

The IAEA and the National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina (CNEA) signed Practical Arrangements in Vienna to support education, training and outreach in the nuclear field, including e-learning capabilities, and to develop and provide material relevant to nuclear education, training and outreach in IAEA Member States. On 17 September 2012, Mr. Alexander Bychkov, IAEA Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy, and Ms. Norma Boero, President, CNEA, concluded the agreement. The Secretary of Energy of Argentina, Mr. Daniel Cameron, also participated in the ceremony.

On the basis of these Practical Arrangements, the CNEA installs and operates the IAEA Cyber Learning Platform and becomes the hub for Latin America. The modalities of cooperation agreed upon cover support to nuclear education, training and outreach including e-learning activities, and promotion of nuclear knowledge management.

Nuclear education and training is an indispensable element of human resource development (HRD) to preserve knowledge and transfer it to the young generation, and to secure a qualified workforce for safe and sustainable nuclear development. The IAEA supports its Member States in all aspects of nuclear HRD under regular programmes, technical cooperation projects and any other available frameworks.

"We believe that CNEA will play a vital role in fostering regional partnerships between nuclear education and training institutions in Latin America, supporting the activities of the Latin American Network for Education in Nuclear Technology (LANENT) and I hope that the joint efforts with other regions - such as Asia and the Pacific, and Africa - will take them a step further towards creating an interregional nuclear education network in the future," says Alexander Bychkov.

Background

The CNEA is the agency in charge of nuclear energy research and development in Argentina. It was created on 31 May 1950 with the mission of developing and controlling nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in the country.

CNEA has a leadership role in the region for nuclear education, which is the reason its Instituto Balseiro was selected by the IAEA as a collaborating centre for human resource development for nuclear technologies and their applications.